Charles Dibdin the younger
Charles Isaac Mungo Dibdin (27 October 1768 – 15 January 1833), or Charles Pitt or Charles Dibdin the younger, as he was professionally known, was an English dramatist, composer, writer and theatre proprietor. He was perhaps best known for his proprietorship of the Sadler's Wells Theatre and for the pantomimes and satirical farces that he wrote, and which were staged at many theatres across London. He employed Joseph Grimaldi at Sadler's Wells where Grimaldi appeared in many of his most successful pantomimes. He was the son of Charles Dibdin, brother of Thomas John Dibdin and godson of David Garrick. Life Youth and early career Dibdin was born in Russell Court, Covent Garden, London, the illegitimate son of composer Charles Dibdin and the actress Harriett Pitt. He was named after his father's friend and librettist Isaac Bickerstaffe and their character Mungo in an afterpiece entitled The Padlock. Dibdin made his theatrical debut opposite his elder brother Thomas John Dibdin in his godfather David Garrick'sMcConnell Stott, p. 80 The Jubilee in 1775. Soon after this performance, his parents separated, and Dibdin changed his surname to his mother's maiden name, Pitt.Kilburn, Matthew. "Dibdin, Charles Isaac Mungo", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, accessed December 2012 Dibdin's mother was initially against her son following a theatrical career and so arranged for him to start an apprenticeship for his uncle Cecil Pitt, a furniture-maker, who worked in central London.McConnell Stott, p. 79 Dibdin commenced his schooling in Hackney, then moved to County Durham where, at the age of 9, he enrolled at a boarding-school at Barnard Castle, remaining there until the age of 14, without a holiday. When he was 14, Dibdin returned to London and began an apprenticeship for a pawnbroker, which he continued for several years. Keen to realise a literary ambition, Dibdin published a collection of verse, Poetical Attempts: By a young man in 1792 and along with his brother Thomas, wrote the Christmas pantomime The Talisman; or, Harlequin Made Happy in 1796.Findlater, p. 60 In 1797, he recommenced his performing career at the Royalty Theatre in London in a one-man show called Sans six sous and became known professionally as Charles Dibdin the younger. The same year, he married the actress Mary Bates at St George's, Hanover Square, London on 13 June; the couple had eleven children. Among them were Mary Anne (1799–1886), a harpist who became the second wife of the controversialist Lewis Hippolytus Joseph Tonna, and Robert William (1805–1887), a clergyman and father of Sir Lewis Tonna Dibdin. Soon after his marriage, Dibdin sold a pantomime, based on the novel Don Quixote,McConnell Stott, p. 93 to Philip Astley who further contracted Dibdin for a three-year engagement as a writer at Astley's Amphitheatre. Dibdin recalled the eccentric atmosphere at Astley's in his memoirs: "the Astleyian fancy was apt to be fascinated by such an Exhibition."Dibdin, p. 118 Astley was known for his strict, fearsome reputation and insisted on starving his actors until after their act, using food as a reward for good performances.Bunn, p. 59Dibdin, p. 20 Astley ordered Dibdin to produce twelve burlettas, twelve pantomimes and twelve harlequinades a year. In 1799, Dibdin was offered a contract by the Sadler's Wells manager Richard Hughes to write pantomimes and harlequinades for the following year's season,McConnell Stott, p. 94 including Harlequin Benedick; or, The Ghost of Mother Shipton and The Great Devil, both starring Joseph Grimaldi.Findlater, p. 85 Peak years Dibdin and his wife conducted a tour with the Astley company, travelling to Dublin and Liverpool as well as performing in London. It was during this period that Dibdin became a fluent and prolific composer, writing many songs, prologues, epilogues, and one-act musical plays. In 1799, Dibdin left Astley and sought alternative employment following his wife's dismissal for sewing during rehearsals. That autumn, the Dibdins joined a touring equestrian company, managed by William Davis and toured to such cities as Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester. in 1809]] In 1800, Dibdin took over as manager at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London with the pantomime ballet Filial Love, or the Double Marriage being one of the first pieces to be staged under his managership.McConnell Stott, p. 97 He hired a band of notable performers, including Edmund Kean and Joseph Grimaldi as well as many singers, tightrope-walkers, and pugilists. Throughout the seasons, he introduced many of his self-composed works that met the varied public taste. These spectacles improved the fortunes of Sadler's Wells, and by 1802 he, his brother Thomas and a syndicate of wealthy businessmen, including the scene painter Robert Andrews and composer William Reeve, became shareholders in the theatre.McConnell Stott, p. 124 In 1803–4, Dibdin installed a large water tank and advertised the venue as an aquatic theatre that performed aqua dramas. On 15 October 1807, eighteen people were killed in a stampede to escape when a mistaken fire alarm was given at the theatre. Although his proprietorship survived the disaster, the Napoleonic war had ruined public demand for Dibdin's type of entertainment, and his fortunes fell until, in 1819, he was declared bankrupt and was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. He was released two years later upon the sale of his shares in Sadler's Wells which bought him out of debt. He continued with his compositions, writing many songs and pantomimes for various London theatres and took up the role of stage director at the Royal Amphitheatre from 1822–23 and manager of the Surrey Theatre from 1825–26. Later years The author Andrew McConnell Stott noted "Dibdin was a cheerful, tireless and frequently prosperous man with a love of patriotic ballads and convivial dinners."McConnell Stott, p. 92 Dibdin published a number of poems including Young Arthur, or, The Child of Mystery: a Metrical Romance in 1819. He completed A History of the London Theatres which was published in 1826 to much acclaim. His last theatrical composition was the farce, Nothing Superfluous, which was produced in Hull in 1829. The following year, he completed his memoirs, but they were not published until discovered in 1956. He died in 1833 at the age of 63 and was buried at St James's Chapel, Pentonville.McConnell Stott, p. 307"Death of Mr. Charles Dibdin", Morning Post, 19 January 1933, p. 3 Footnotes Recognition In 2010 a musical artwork dedicated to Dibdin and Grimaldi was installed during the refurbishment of Grimaldi Park. Publications Poetry Poetical attempts. 1792 *The age: a satire, in six cantos. 1795. *''Mirth and metre: consisting of poems, serious, humorous and satirical''. London: W. Wilson, for Vernor, Hood, & Sharpe, 1807. *''Young Arthur; or, The child of mystery: A metrical romance''. London: Strahan and Spottiswoode for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, 1819. *''Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies; including The Chessiad, a mock heroic in five cantos; and The wreath of love, in four cantos''. London: G.B. Whittaker, 1825. Plays Wizard's wake: or harlequin's regeneration. 1803. The little gipsies. 1804. Harlequin and the water kelpie. 1806. The wild man: or the water pageant. 1809. The council of ten: or the lake of the grotto. 1811. The farmer's wife. 1814. *''My spouse and I: An operational farce''. London: Whittingham & Arliss, 1815. *''Life in London: A play in three acts, depicting the day and night scenes of Logic, Tom, and Jerry''. London: Hodgson, 1821. Non-fiction History and illustrations of the London theatres: comprising an account of the origin and progress of the drama in England. 1826. The high-mettled racer. 1831. *''Professional and Literary Memoirs'' (edited by George Speaight). London: Society for Theatre Research, 1956. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Charles Dibdin younger, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 4, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * * * * Notes External links ;Poems *"Negro Slave" *"Charity: In imitation of Spenser" ;About *Charles Dibdin (1768-1833) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 Category:1768 births Category:1833 deaths Category:18th-century English male actors Category:19th-century English male actors Category:English composers Category:English dramatists and playwrights Category:English male stage actors Category:Male actors from London Category:People from Covent Garden Category:English male dramatists and playwrights Category:18th-century poets Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:Poets